Written by Dr. Jeffrey Peng, MD — Board-Certified Sports Medicine Physician Published: March 4, 2026 | Last Updated: March 4, 2026 Back pain is one of the most common complaints I encounter in my sports medicine practice — and one of the most misunderstood. Patients arrive convinced they have a serious spinal problem, that their MRI findings explain their symptoms, or that rest is the only safe path forward. These beliefs are not only unsupported by current evidence; they ac

A brand new study out of the Cleveland Clinic just tracked nearly 1,800 athletes through their knee replacement and recovery — and the results challenge a lot of what patients are being told. Only 53% made it back to sports within a year. But the ones who did? Most were back in just 12 weeks. So what separates the people who return from the ones who don't? As a sports medicine doctor in the San Francisco Bay Area, I treat patients with knee arthritis every week. And this que

What is a frozen shoulder? Frozen shoulder causes significant pain and disability. The lifetime prevalence of frozen shoulder is up to 5% in the general population. It generally affects patients in their 40s to 60s. Women are more affected than men. It can last up to 2 years if left untreated. How does frozen shoulder occur? We don’t fully understand what causes frozen shoulder. It is associated with other diseases such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, and autoimmune diseases